Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-03-26
CHAPTER III.
A LONG MoRN1Nn IN THE CITY.

4r. Murrtdge wal " profession Q gensal-
ogist. Tnis Il Q trade In which are few com-
There are, to be sure, the herAlds,
who arc . digni6ed body, and have q col.
lege OF thar own. and on occasdons Of cere-
mony wear the most besutifui coats In the
world. and consequently arc tempted to wish
there was a coronation every week
They also enjoy much finer titles than the
members of the upper house, being called
king alarms, herald or pursuivant, rouge
dragon, rouge croix, bluemantLo and port
CULTS. Mr.. Murridgs possessed no other title
than thai OF plain Mh .er, which We are not
expec.sd to enjoy. 1t was reported of him
BY those who regarded him az an tnterloper
and IN unqualified practitioner, that he
bad originally been apprent,ced to a die
engraving ccats-of-arrns for one who
side by the gilded efigues Of Q loathly worm
This snterprising tradesanan not only en-
Rraved shields and furnlshed family seals,
but also found their coats-of. arins. for people
who had lost them 10 long that all memory
and trace Of than had vanishei. Nothing
proves Q family to 30 old 20 much - to have
lost the memory Of their arms. There arc
many such; they have withered In obscuri.y
and neglect for generations; thsn one Of
them MAKES money, and such gentlemen a.
this hsraidic shopkse Or recover thu long-los
connections and land them proudly among
the barons in the wars OF tbs Roses. In this
way. therefore, old Murridge found himself
impelled IN the direction Of genealogical stud.
les, and in this way he gradually neglected
the practice Of his art and transformed
himself into . searchsr and grubber into
family history.
IL is sometimes proiltaDl b For there arc
always tho now rich, who continually desire
to prove that they have always, though their
friends little suseected 1t, really belonged to
tho class which rules by right divine, and by
the same right 20 ,sesses hereditary brains:
and there are. besides these, The rich d'ou-
tremer. who bears names Of English origin
and wou d fain prove their connection with
great English houses. aud are willing to pay
Handsomely for such a connection There
fore. old Murridge generally found his hand.
fully occupied In tracing pedigreeJ finding
out missing links, proving marriages, es alb!
lishing American connections, following up
lines of descent converting plain country
gentlemen into de cendsuts OF royalty-this
IS very lucrative branch Of tho profe ssion
land in this wav bringing vainglory, de-
light, honor. distinction, and solaoe to ali
who could ri1ord TO pay Tor It 80 great
indeed. was his skill that b. nsver failed to
prove his client . eadet, ct least, Of some
ancien house. and when there was no estate
invo we'd and tho family wa supposed
TO BE- extinct, he not ~infrequentlv made
his c ont the head Of that house. No;hing
could he conceived moro pleasing to ladies
and gentlemen who had been brought up to
believe that for them there was no family
history-no mora than ct the beginning of
the world-previous % the family shop
where the money was made-whether O shop
with a counter. an til and an apron; or q
shop wi b On office and q clerk; or Q shop
with q box Of pills; or Q shop with q wig
and gown; or a shop with a sword and q red
o !; or a shop with a steel pom and a few
pages of blank paper; or q shop with a
bundle Of scrip and shares. So that Mr..
s1urridge was really a philanthropist Of Tho
first water-an eighteen carat %philanthro-
piSt. II. from time to time, in his grubbing
among geneal gle, old Wills and family his.
tories. he came upon curious discoveries
which he wa. able to turn to his own adva1.
tage. he is not to be banned. Notably, there
was the succession to the ClonsilLa title, IN
which. as you will presently see, be did a
very good stroke Of business
His Office was in Finsoury Circus, where
he had " rooms OF q second floor; tha
front room large and light, looking out on
the open place; the back room small and
dingy. looking upon the Limbo Of chimneys
workshops, back buildings, out houses and
grimy yards which one finds in that part Of
London. On tho door rosts below his name
was painted: Second Floor, JOHN MUH-
RIDGE" His own room was furnished with
n very large table-genealogists, like
civil engineers, require great tables-and
another very small one; be had a great
book case. full of books Of reference. such a.
Dugdale. Douglas. Tonge. Beltram, Wotton.
Collins and Lysons, a really valuable COL
lection; a. for tho country histories, one
needs tho our Of a Rothschild to EOS
sea them. There was also q large-sized safe
In a corner, and there were tin boxes piled
one above the other. ~ in q solicitors Office.
and there were three or four chair1. The
room at the back was not, properly speak
ing. furnished at all That II to say, there
vas a table at the window with Q blotting-
pad, and an inkstand and q chair before Il.
There was another table beside The fireplace,
with q heavy copying pres upon It, tie
kind with Q handle and ascrew. This was
for The boy clssk, who posted ths lettsss.
copied thofu and ran erranda Thu okhSe